1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective device for protecting exposed entryways and doors from the inadvertent contact and possible damage by furniture, equipment, construction materials and the like being moved.
2. Description of Related Art
The relocation industry employs numerous devices and methods in order to provide the quickest, safest and most inexpensive move possible for their clients. Moving companies and related industries constantly develop, test and refine innovative products so that such a move is possible. For example, moving companies often utilize lifting devices that are easily movable through constricted spaces, such as door frames. These lifting devices can safely secure a heavy load and allow just a single person to navigate the load in and out of buildings. These devices also reduce the risk of injury to movers.
A typical office mover employs several individuals to load and unload furniture on and off of moving equipment or move the furniture by hand. The moving equipment typically is pushed or pulled through the office, through the office doors, into an elevator, out of the elevator, and through the building""s front doors. This procedure is repeated, in reverse, to move the furniture into the new office space. Throughout this moving process, edges and corners of, for example, a hand truck or the furniture can inadvertently come in contact with walls, doors and jambs, not only damaging the moving equipment and furniture, but also the walls, doors and jamb surfaces.
Similar to the moving process described above, customized construction in an office space can pose a similar risk to both the moving equipment and building materials, and the surfaces of the building""s walls, doors and jambs. The expense of repairing damaged walls, doors and door jambs typically falls upon the building owner, the landlord or building management. Thus, movers and contractors rarely bring to the site protective pads to place between the moving loads and the exposed surfaces. Even so, movers and contractors want to minimize such damage to buildings to maintain a quality reputation. Thus, movers and contractors utilize moving equipment designed to avoid this type of damage.
One such product is the Spider Crane(copyright) used by Office Moving Systems of Atlanta, Ga. The Spider Crane(copyright) lifts full lateral files high enough to roll a specially designed steel dolly underneath the files. While the cabinet is held safely suspended, a member of the moving crew slides the steel dolly underneath the cabinet which is then gently lowered. This type of device not only reduces injuries, but also enables the client to minimize down time since the Spider Crane(copyright) lifts a full file cabinet. Thus, the client need not unload the cabinets and pack the files in boxes. The proper use of this type of device also reduces the expense to the moving company of patching and painting walls damaged by moving the cabinets through the office versus when cabinets are moved in more traditional ways, such as by a two-wheel dolly or hand truck, where there is less control over the cabinets while they are moved in and out of buildings.
Even with the best of care, there is always the risk of damage to property during the moving process. Damage is not confined to the items and products being moved, but can also be sustained by the office or residential structure itself which can be banged, dinged or scratched by the items or the moving equipment such as dollies and hand trucks. The transportation of construction materials through a building passageway also can cause damage, specifically damaging areas of narrowing in the passageway, which are typically at doorways and elevators. An inadvertent scrape can damage the paint, wallpaper and other building surface material.
Superior barrier-type protection devices are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/223,985 and 09/580,097, which applications are fully incorporated herein by reference. These protection devices include an inflatable main section, a padded minor flap and securing components. The padded minor flap is foldably connected to the main section along the lengths of the flap and main section, that is, a vertical fold line enables the flap and main section to fold toward or away one another like pages of a book.
With the manufacture and use of these devices, it was noted that certain modifications of the principal design could be improved upon, for example, that the main section could include cushioning material rather than an inflatable mechanism, that the device also could be foldable about horizontal fold lines, not just vertical fold lines, that the minor flap could itself be vertically foldable, and that the minor flap could extend in length beyond the main section. Therefore it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a lightweight, easily constructed, inexpensive, noninvasive and portable barrier-type device that can protect building surfaces.
Briefly described, in its preferred form, the present invention comprises a barrier device for use with elevator door jamb panels and entryway doors and jambs to protect the surfaces of these panels and doors from sustaining damage from collisions with moving equipment, building materials and furniture. The present invention is a protection device placed against the at-risk wall or door surface. The device protects the surfaces from scratches and dents when furniture and construction materials inadvertently bang into these protected surfaces.
The present entryway protector is a barrier-type device that a landlord or property manager can quickly and easily install both to protect the elevator jamb panels and the sidewalls of the adjacent elevator hallway, and to protect open doors from scratches and dents. The invention preferably comprises two sections and a securing component. A main rectangular section is separated by a vertical line of stitching from a smaller section, or minor rectangular flap. The minor flap can be further provided with a vertical line of stitching forming two minor flap components. Both the main section and minor flap are also provided with at least one horizontal line of stitching. The vertical and horizontal lines of stitching provide fold lines for the device.
The main section and minor flap preferably comprise a cushioning material enclosed within a protective sleeve of thick vinyl. The securing component is capable of releasably securing the protection device to the at-risk surface.
In applications where the present invention is placed at the entrance of an elevator, the entryway protector is placed so that the minor flap folds along a perpendicular edge of the main section. The minor flap is placed in contact with, and is hung against, the jamb panel in proximity to the elevator door using the securing component. Preferably, the minor flap is hung on the jamb panel using suction cups. The jamb panels in proximity to the elevator door typically have one of two possible widths, approximately seven or 14 inches. The minor flap is designed such that the two minor flap components can be folded upon each other, to provide seven inches of protection, or need not be folded atop one another, wherein the combined width of the two minor flap components side-by-side is 14 inches.
The vertical line of stitching between the main section and the minor flap is preferably aligned with the corner edge of the door jamb panel and the hallway wall in which the elevator is set. The main section extends along a portion of the length of the hallway wall from the corner edge, away from the elevator. In this configuration, both the jamb panel of the elevator and a length of the hallway wall are protected from contact with moving equipment, construction materials and furniture.
In another application, the protector can xe2x80x9chugxe2x80x9d an open door, so the door can remain open while protected from construction materials or furniture moving in and out of the entrance. In this embodiment, the securing component can comprise loop and hook fasteners combined with straps extending from the main section to secure the protector around the door. In this manner, the door is hugged and secured snug by the protector. The protector is held in place by inserting the straps through the spaces between the hinges of the door, which are then secured to the minor flap.
The main section of the present invention is capable of remaining upright without any wall attachment because the main section has both a sufficiently thick bottom edge surface to support it in the upright position, and rigidity from the cushioning material enclosed within the protective sleeve of thick vinyl. It has been found that if the main section comprises a cushioning pad of approximately three inch thickness, the main section will sufficiently remain upright against the surface. The minor flap preferably comprises a cushioning pad of approximately one inch thickness. When the minor flap of the present invention is hung against the elevator jamb panel by the securing component, both panels remain upright, and thus stay in place even when contacted by furniture or equipment.
Other features of the present invention include its economical cost, its ease of carrying as it can be folded about both the vertical and horizontal lines of stitching, and the ease in which the device fits snug around a door and is supported near an elevator. Further, unlike furniture pads, the present invention remains in the upright position so the protection device does not crumple to the floor. In order to use furniture pads to protect the hallway walls, hanging attachments must be secured into the wall, which attachments necessarily damage the wall. Conversely, the present invention is noninvasive.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, portable and inexpensive protection device to protect wall and door surfaces from collision with furniture, moving equipment and construction materials.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protection device that can be easily moved and placed in position by one individual.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a protection device comprising a padded main section with a minor flap.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.